


Autumn’s Ashes

by Milkmoonlight



Category: Twilight
Genre: Action, Adventure, Alice Cullen - Freeform, Cullen - Freeform, Edgy, F/M, Jasper Cullen - Freeform, Magic, Romance, Slow Burn, Supernatural - Freeform, Supernatural romance, Werewolf, Witches, bellaswan, christian novel, dangerous love, edwardcullen - Freeform, twilight - Freeform, twilight saga - Freeform, vampire, vampire romance, vampireromance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-25
Updated: 2019-12-10
Packaged: 2021-02-26 22:53:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,915
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21557047
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Milkmoonlight/pseuds/Milkmoonlight
Summary: Autumn is moving to a miniature town high in the mountains for her junior year. She isn't particularly excited about it, until she meets a pair of siblings that change everything.
Relationships: Original Characters - Relationship
Kudos: 2





	1. Autumn

Autumn 

Trees passed by outside the car window in a blur of green and brown that I was beginning to grow used to. The tall pines towered above the car, and I stared through the window watching one by one disappear from view, only to be replaced by more.  
The clouds rolled outside the window today, a thick sheet covering the blue sky. It felt unwelcoming, and my mood dropped as we passed city limits and entered the miniature town of Crested Butte, Colorado.  
The population, as far as the 2010 consensus told me, was 1600 people, the majority of them middle-aged. It was right outside the city of Gunnison, which held a much more impressive population of 6500.  
Here the elevation was about 8000 feet, and it was more often cold than not. It was a low 60s temperature today, which was freezing against my tanned Californian born arms.  
It was the weekend before my first day of junior year and I was far from excited. Though I wondered, was anyone really excited for the first day of school? This was supposed to be the hardest year of my Highschool career, and I would be starting it in an unfamiliar school full of new faces.  
The only person I knew was my best friend Natalie, who had moved to the tiny town of Crested Butte long before I had. I had met her one year when I was visiting my aunt who lived in the secluded area, and we had been best friends ever since. Every year since then I would visit for at least a week during the summer, but I would always stay longer if I could manage it.  
I had never been good with new people. I had never been wonderful at firsts. The idea of having to do so many firsts, first impressions, first time walking around a new school, first time not knowing my peers since I was little, was frightening.  
My parents had gotten divorced at the end of my sophomore year, and my mom decided that we would move here. This small dismal town high in the mountains hidden away from civilization.  
We had family here, Natalie was here, the decision made sense despite the fact that we would miss the warm breezes we got back in California.  
The divorce that caused me and my mom to leave our hometown was still fresh in my mind. The fights that had led up to it, my mom's tears. I didn't hate my dad, but I couldn't help but be glad I would have space from him. I remembered how he came to the airport sobbing as we said goodbye.  
But I was seventeen now, I got to make my own decisions, and my decision was to leave with mom. My mom and I had always been closer. I had always felt awkward around my dad. We didn't know how to talk to each other. Any time we spent together was usually spent in silence.  
I reminisced on how things were when I was little during the drive to our new house. Before my parents would have screaming matches, ones they tried to hide, but the ones I could still hear from my small bedroom as clear as day.  
I remembered how on Sundays we would always go out to eat after church. I remembered visiting grandma before she moved to be closer to my sickly aunt. I remembered before my mom got her most recent job, and we would make apple pie during the day together. I thought about playing video games with my dad before he went to the bar.  
I was jarred from my saddening thoughts as me and my mother pulled up to the new house and looked up to it solemnly.  
"This is it, Autumn! Doesn't it look nice? It has a decent-sized backyard so we can try to start a garden back there." My mom said trying her best to be positive despite what her eyes said. It was truly a nice area. The mountains were pretty, the forest beautiful. But it wasn't what we knew. It wasn't sandy beaches and pastel-colored road shops. It wasn't redwood forests or Hollywood streets lined with movie stars and designer shops. It was pretty, but it wasn't home. It wasn't what either of us truly wanted.  
"Yeah!" I said quick to agree also hiding my own doubts. Mom wanted to be closer to family, and I understood that. The divorce had been really hard on her, she needed support from her loved ones. This place, however, was so drastically different from what we had known since I was a baby I was finding it hard to adjust. We were surrounded by mountains and foliage everywhere you looked. Here it was cold more often than not, unlike the warmth we experienced in California. Here felt dark and dismal, California felt inviting and exciting.  
The area was extremely green, however, due to the copious amounts of rainfall. The grass was shiny and bright and the trees grew big and strong. I could appreciate that. I was excited to go hiking and spend time outside however I could.  
I had always enjoyed being outside and in nature since I was little. I blamed it on my mother who was constantly tending to a garden and watering plants. If possible she enjoyed growing our own food as opposed to buying things from the store.  
I thought back on my mom, knee-deep in tomatoes and potatoes and carrots and lettuce, tearing out weeds and carefully watering plants.  
My mom and I stood at the front door as she unlocked it. The house had a light white paint on the outside that looked like it could use a new coat. As the door opened I peered into the entryway and carefully walked inside. As I took the first steps in I was happy to see the wood flooring. I appreciated the clacking of the heels of my boots as I walked through the house  
To the right as soon as you opened the door there were some stairs leading to the second floor where my room was. For the first time in my life I was living in a house that had two stories, as well as having an upstairs bedroom and more to myself. The entire second story was basically mine, and I was excited to explore.  
Of course, it wasn't a lot. A bedroom, a bathroom, and what was supposed to be an office space. I wasn't sure what I would even use the extra room for if I even used it, but I was excited to have it nonetheless.  
To the left immediately was the living room. Going past that was an open entryway leading into the kitchen. To the right of the stairs was a room meant to be a more formal dining room area. Of course, my mom wasn't going to use it like that but rather as a personal office. Further down the hallway was my mom's bedroom, and at the end of the hallway was the downstairs bathroom.  
I made my way upstairs. Immediately it opened up to a den, a spare room. There wasn't a lot there. The piano has already been delivered and brought up there. At the end of the long skinny room, there was a fireplace and a few chairs surrounding it. To the left was my bedroom.  
The bed still needed to be set up, spare pieces scattered on the floor. The dresser had already been put in as well as my desk but the bookcase and nightstand needed attention.  
I gently sat down the box I had carried inside and looked around. It was much cozier inside, opposed to the outside which looked slightly rundown. The floors were a warm brown wood. The lights a soft fluorescent yellow that made the room feel happier, like rays of sunshine. There were tons of windows in the house, letting in whatever natural light was available which made my heart feel happy. Connected to the bedroom was a bathroom which I was again more than excited for. I had never had my own bathroom before, just as I had never lived in a two-story house where I had a floor all to myself before either. The last room connected to both the bedroom and the bathroom was another little play area where I was planning to set up a tv.  
The walls, however, were my favorite part. In my room, they were a soft blue. It was a nice comfortable color, that made me feel at ease. My mom had had her bedroom walls painted a pastel seafoam green. The kitchen was light yellow. The pastel colors made the place feel more inviting. I felt hope gathering in my chest that the new home might become as warm as my last. It may be different, and not what we wanted, but surely we could adjust.  
We settled in bringing in boxes and unloading the car. But before we could start any real work my mom insisted we meet the neighbors.  
My mom, being the friendly person she was, told me we must meet the neighbor living directly across from us. With an apple pie in her hands, we trekked across the street to the dark brown house sitting in silence. I wondered if anyone was even home, the place seemed abandoned, but my mom rapped her knuckles on the door with a wide smile and stood waiting patiently.  
We waited for a few minutes, no sign of life. I was losing all hope when suddenly the door shook softly, I heard locks unlocking, multiple it seemed, before suddenly the door was yanked open and I saw an elderly man in front of us.  
He had a walker to support himself, dark chocolate skin dotted with old age. His hair was fraying and white on top of his head, combed over in a sad attempt to seem full. He looked at us suspiciously, and my mom moved on to introductions.  
"Hello my name is Carolyn, and this is my daughter Autumn," she placed a hand on my shoulder and I smiled as kindly as I could, "we just moved in across the street and we wanted to get to know the neighbors some so we brought over a pie!"  
He smiled then coming outside and shutting the front door. His hands shook as he moved, and I felt a surge of sympathy run through me.  
"Well thank you miss. It's nice to meet your acquaintance. I'm Mr. Davis. Pleased to meet you." My mom and him talked for a minute, normal small talk about how beautiful the area was and how excited she was to be moving here. She kindly handed him the pie, and he gratefully took it, before he wished us goodbye and we headed back to our own house.  
I decided he was nice enough. He was an old man who seemed rather kind and friendly. I figured he was a pretty good neighbor to have, and felt content with that.  
The rest of our first day was spent unpacking. Setting up furniture and putting things where they needed to be. A lot of the furniture had already been delivered and put where they belonged, so I knew we would be finished by the end of the weekend.  
It wasn't until around 7:00 that we had gotten halfway done, and decided to call it quits for the day. It was then that family, and Natalie started to arrive.  
The first to arrive was my grandma, a lovely lady who was always punctual. She still dyed her hair a bright orange color like how it was when she was younger, My mom having inherited the same color. She was carrying a plate of what looked like cookies and my stomach growled appreciatively.  
"Grandma!" I cheered hugging her as she stepped inside the house.  
"Why hello there Autumn! It's been so long." She said hugging back, a warm smile on her face. I had always adored my grandma.  
Since I was little to this day, I still believed she was the best lady on earth. She always radiated the utmost warmth and kindness. I felt the new town might be livable if my grandma was always nearby.  
Next was my Aunt, Aunt Jacklyn was my mom's sister. She had a short pixie cut hairstyle and sparkling green eyes. She was a lively person especially so before the cancer took ahold of her. She came in and wrapped me in a solid air stealing a hug. She didn't say anything, but as she hugged me tightly and looked at me lovingly, her eyes spoke for her, saying "I'm sorry for everything that you've gone through."  
It wasn't thirty minutes later Natalie arrived.  
I heard the doorbell go off from the kitchen, a loud chiming sound that echoed through the house. I got up from my seat by my grandma and raced to door as fast as the slippery wood floors would allow me. As I opened the door with a wide swing I came face to face with my best friend.  
I looked at Natalie, Natalie looked at me, it seemed to take a minute for us to register each other before we were both screaming and jumping up and down excitedly hugging each other.  
"You're here!" Natalie screamed pulling back from the hug, arms still around me.  
"I'm here!" I screamed back pulling Natalie inside the house with an over the top flourish.  
"Wow, I can't believe you're actually here!" She squealed and we both laughed at the excitedness we felt upon seeing each other.  
"Me neither honestly. I can't believe we'll be going to school together!"  
"Oh, I know. I can't wait for you to meet my friends at school. You'll love them." Natalie assured. I nodded while inspecting my dear friend.  
Her chocolate skin was as beautiful as ever. Her hair was now a dark green color which I thought looked amazing on her. Her brown eyes still sparkled. She was just as I remembered her, and also completely different. She was older now, her hair was longer, she was taller. It amazed me how age could change a person, and I wondered if she noticed my own differences.  
I hugged her tightly again before offering to show her my room, which she quickly accepted. Together we ran up the stairs while I could hear my family laughing down below.  
"Natalie must have arrived." My mom commented while grabbing her second cookie and my aunt laughed.  
"Those girls, practically inseparable. You haven't even been here a full day." She said chuckling and sipping on her coffee.  
In the meantime, I showed Natalie around my disorganized room. She ooed and awed at the right places and enthused with me about the space.  
"I love blue walls." She noted before jumping onto the bed. I laughed and joined her, nodding and looking around.  
"It's nice here. Can you believe the whole upstairs is mine?"  
"No! That's so cool! I'm gonna be over here all the time."  
"I'm glad. I really missed you. FaceTime doesn't do your presence justice." I commented laughing.  
"I missed you too! Two days until school. Then we'll be stuck together for a solid eight hours."  
"Yeah tell me about the school." I urged her sitting up straight criss crossing my legs and facing her. I was anxious to get details, hoping that would calm my growing nerves.  
"I have a few friends there, they're all super nice I'm sure you'll love them. Most people know you're coming, this isn't a big town. I also heard you're not the only new kid. Apparently, a pair of siblings is starting this year. I don't remember their last names but I know it's Italian."  
"Oh wow. I guess we'll meet them tomorrow?"  
"Yeah! It'll all be good. I'll show you around but the school is tiny so don't let your head make you too nervous."   
I nodded feeling relieved at her kind words as I had hoped I would.  
The rest of the weekend seemed to pass too quickly for my liking. The majority of my time was spent unpacking and organizing. This picture was to be hung here, this book placed here, this candle sat here. Organizing clothes and pairing up shoes. Natalie was often over to help, and by the time the first day of school rolled around, we were finished.  
I got up that morning feeling excited. I was nervous, who wouldn't be, but I was trying to stay positive. Natalie would be there, she was gonna help me and introduce me to people. Besides, I wasn't the only new kid so eventually, the focus would shift to the Italian family.  
I have to admit I was rather excited to see these other new kids. Just the fact that they were Italian made them feel special. It made you want to ooh and ahh. I hoped they would steal any spotlight I might have at school. I wasn't one to care for attention and preferred it to be away from me if possible.  
I got dressed, a simple sweater and jeans with my signature combat boots. It was plain and simple but comfortable, and that's how I liked it.  
Natalie was coming to pick me up. I knew I was gonna need a car so I reminded myself to search for jobs after school today.  
I grabbed an orange from the kitchen, hugged my mom goodbye and hurried out the door as I heard the horn honking.  
"You ready girl?" Natalie asked as I slid into her car. The warmth flushed over my skin instantly apart from the creeping morning cold outside.  
"As ready as I can be!" I said eating slices of my orange and she smiled taking the car out of park and switching into drive.  
"That's enough."


	2. Clara

I walked up to the house I hadn’t seen in a long time. Sticks and leaves crunched under my feet. Cool wind blew across my face ruffling my hair. The house looked as it always did, quaint and cute and perfect for four people. It would have even more space now that there was only three of us.   
It had been many years since I had seen this house. So many things had happened since then, none of them good. We had lost people that were close to us, and the effects were clear on my family.   
I glanced towards my brother Ash as we walked up the porch steps and unlocked the front door. His face looked bored, unbothered, almost like he wasn’t aware of where we were. Or the memories contained in the walls we were about to enter.   
That had been the standard with him lately. He used to be so full of life… now it was like he was completely dead inside. Devoid of emotions.   
Our mother Evelyn, followed closely behind us. She was quiet, as she always was, hands folded neatly across her grey skirt. She was still as young and beautiful as ever, but her eyes carried a blankless that made fear build in the pit of my stomach.   
We walked inside to see the house looking exactly as it had when we left. Furniture dusty but in the same place. Dishes sitting neatly in the cupboards. Books lining shelves.   
We had some things to unpack but for the most part, the house was ready to be lived in.  
We had multiple houses, all over the world. We never took furniture with us, it was too much of a hassle. Only small personal items that could fit in our car. Being alive for so long left us with a good amount of money, and what else were we to spend it on?   
“It’s the same as always,” I said breaking the eerie silence that suffocated us. I examined the cool colored walls and different rooms, memories that took place in them flooding back to her mind. A painful reminder of all the things we had lost.   
“Yes, it is.” Ash agreed solemnly. Our mother stayed quiet, her pained eyes curiously searching around the house they remembered all too well.   
“Tomorrow's the first day of school so we should unpack and feed and then get ready for the day,” I said taking the initiative, as I always did now. I didn’t mind, I was used to it. Ash nodded and went to get some boxes. Unpacking was always easy, always fast.   
I studied Evelyn walked slowly around the house taking it in, memories flooding back into her mind. Tears pricked at her eyes but she held them back, trying her best to think clearly.   
I sighed but went to help as well, it didn’t take long for everything to be returned to its rightful place.   
“Ash, the piano is here. Why don’t you play a song for us?” I suggested hopefully. I knew how much he loved music, how much he loved to play. Maybe this would make our first day back have a happy memory, and brighten our spirits some.   
He stood arms crossed seeming to think the idea over. He nodded briefly, curt and quick, then headed to the black grand piano taking his seat on the bench. He needed no sheet music, he had been playing the piano for many years, too many to count.   
A beautiful melody filled the room and I felt slightly at ease. My shoulders relaxed, no longer tense. As the music filled the room I repeated a mantra of positive things. We would adjust, we would be happy, we would have a fresh start and things would be okay. These thoughts repeated in my mind over and over as I listened to the sweet soft song Ash’s fingers played.   
Suddenly Ash missed a note breaking the rhythm and interrupting the song. My eyes burst open and I looked at him shocked. He was looking down towards the ground, clearly disappointed and frustrated with himself.   
I could practically see the thoughts and emotions swirling around him he was trying to contain. A large dark cloud of sadness consuming him.   
“Let’s go feed.” He said quickly standing up and I nodded, unwilling to disagree, following him outside to the woods.


	3. Autumn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have made a soundtrack for my book on Spotify if you’re interested in hearing the music I listened to while writing. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/77fUlbZ4GPR1Rcdr6tEcaA?si=lLJSQt4gQtKeo2fGSucoTA

The school was small just as Natalie had said it was. It contained around 700 students a single building containing them all. It was a K-12 school, so the number of seniors was rather small.   
Natalie and I walked up to the front desk, getting my schedule of classes for the day and a map to show me around the small school. I wondered if I really needed it, but was grateful to have it nonetheless. The thought of getting lost on the first day was terrifying.   
We were thrilled to see we had a total of three out of seven classes together. That was almost half, and they were spread out throughout the day. I rejoiced instantly, the classes being spread out meant I would get consistent help from Natalie if needed. It was a wave of relief to know she would be guiding me to my different classes and helping me adjust to my first day here.   
We had requested our lockers to be next to each other, so Natalie led me there first. They were plain boring grey lockers, with combination locks you didn't actually use. Some girls decorated the inside of their locker, I didn't bother. A simple hook that stuck to the locker via magnet was all I used, for anything I wanted to hang up. Sunglasses, a necklace, hopefully, I would be able to put keys there soon.   
Natalie and I grabbed books for our first class, math, which we luckily had together.   
I thanked the universe we had our first hour together, so I could get a feel for where to go. If I were to prefer any class to have together it would be first because that meant at the beginning of the day I would always have Natalie. She would always be there to make sure I was going the right way, and to make sure my anxiety wasn't shooting through the roof. Natalie promised me she would show me to each class. I was so grateful for her my heart swelled.   
I could feel the eyes of my peers staring me down as we walked through the hallways towards our first hour. The stares made me uncomfortable, but I tried to power through. I knew people would be curious, it was simply human nature.   
"I wonder where the other new kids are." She whispered to me as we walked along. I shrugged my shoulders as a response and looked around for them trying to distract myself for the peering students fascinated by my brown hair and awkward walk.   
As we walked around a corner we saw two kids standing next to each other waiting to enter another classroom opposite of ours. My first thought was how striking they were against the otherwise normal school building.   
"That's them!" Natalie squealed into my ear excitedly and my eyes went wide as I examined them.   
The girl had shiny blonde hair and a petite but still beautiful figure. Her hair was shoulder length and straight, and she had pretty grey eyes with that seemed like hints of purple, though I wasn't sure that was even possible. She was wearing form-fitting clothes that complimented her perfectly. A light blue blouse and white pants to match. Her attire stood out so much against the grey-green scenery it was shocking and wonderfully different.   
The boy next to her was slightly taller than her. He had pitch-black hair that was somehow a perfect mess, and a slender yet still clearly toned figure. His face was like that of a model, and it was clear he was upset and annoyed at something. As I laid my eyes on him I felt a sudden spark in my chest, spiking my heart rate.   
They both had pale skin and deep dark circles under their eyes, a bruised appearance. They were both beautiful, really beautiful. There was something about them that just drew you in. Something about them made you want to get closer to them, spend time with them.   
The girl looked towards me and our eyes met. She stared at me for a moment and cocked her head to the side before suddenly her eyes went wide and she released her grip on her books. They dropped from her hands and clattered to the ground as I let out a rather loud gasp. The boy beside her, I assumed her brother, looked towards her concerned and began to try to talk to her.   
"Clara? Clara? Clara, what's wrong?" His voice was like velvet, like drizzling honey, but I knew now wasn't an appropriate time to fixate on that.   
I was shocked, to say the least. She continued to stare at me for at least 15 seconds, mouth agape and eyes wide. I found myself fascinated by her teeth, which at the moment seemed razor-sharp and bone white.   
"Clara!" The boy said, glancing at me this time, the object she was staring at. His eyes bore anger, mixed with fear.   
"A-are you okay?" I asked concerned taking a step towards her. I glanced from her to the boy beside her, back to her. Here I'm doing something. I thought helplessly reaching an arm out to shake her. She seemed to snap out of it then and smiled at me, as though nothing strange had just happened.   
"Fine, yes." She said stooping down to pick up her books. I leaned down to help her and she thanked me.   
"What's your name?" She questioned easily picking up one book after the other.   
"Autumn. And you?" I handed her the books I had grabbed and we returned to a standing position.   
"Clara. And this is my brother Ash." She said introducing the two of them. The brother, Ash, glared at me again and I felt a chill run down my spine.   
The girl, Clara, had gotten over the weird moment she had had so quickly, and went on as if nothing had happened. I was utterly confused, shocked, even borderline scared. But I didn't say anything more, as Clara continued to give me a warm smile and her brother Ash continued to glare at me.   
The bell rang signaling class beginning. A loud chiming that hurt my ears.   
"Well, I'll see you around Autumn," Clara said as I got ready to head into class.  
"Yeah, I'll uh see you around." She flashed me a blindingly bright smile and then walked gracefully into her class her brother close behind.   
"That was so weird," Natalie whispered to me as we walked into first period.   
"I know right? I wonder if she's okay?" I looked back at them taking their seats in class. "The brother seemed a little cold," I added at the end.   
"Yeah, but they were both so beautiful," Natalie said, eyes glazed over as she pictured them, and I couldn't help but agree. It was almost frustrating how good looking they were.   
Class was pulled to a start, and I tried to focus on the teachers' words, pushing the weird event out of my mind.   
Lunchtime couldn't come soon enough. The day was so far was boring, as it was just introductions and going over the class rules. First days of school were always bogus, as bogus as the last days I thought. Nothing really happened, and there was no real point. Teachers restated rules that you already knew and told you what you already knew you were going to learn for the year. The only thing I really felt this day was good for was getting a feel of the teachers and the students. Who were friends, and who were foes?   
When lunchtime did finally come around, I noticed my anxiety growing as I remembered I would be introduced to all of Natalie's school friends. It made me feel sick to my stomach, worse, it made me feel replaceable. I was forced to remember that Natalie had a whole other life here, one I wasn't apart of. What if she got along with these new friends better than me? What if we clashed and they didn't want to be around me? Worried thoughts were flooding my mind, and I was practically powerless to stop them.   
Natalie and I had known each other for two years now, and she was truly my best friend. Distance had never mattered for us, we connected the same even if we were miles apart. For the entire time we had known each other we relied on facetime calls and texts to communicated. There was a time where we enjoyed writing letters to each other, but they took forever to deliver and who wanted to pay for stamps?  
The time we spent together in person was always fleeting. As fun as it was, I always had to leave. I had always known Natalie had other friends and a life separate from me, and that thought had never bothered me. But now that I was forced to confront this head-on it made me feel a bit insecure.   
I wasn't popular like Natalie, I wasn't great at making friends or being social. I had always preferred to keep to myself and stay on the outlines. I tried to be outgoing like Natalie, but I just wasn't as brave or confident as her. It was always hard for me to find new friends, and it was rare for me to bond as closely with someone as I had Natalie. It was just in my nature I supposed. I didn't want to start conversations or be with big crowds. I was satisfied with a cup of coffee and a good book or cd.   
I had always suffered when I was away from Natalie, and she had always flourished. She had thrived, having a big group of friends, and it honestly made me feel scared. I just couldn't compare to Natalie or any of her, I'm sure, amazing friends. My insecurities were growing with each passing minute.   
"Don't worry Autumn," Natalie said, sensing the anxious energy I must have been emitting. "You're gonna be just fine. They're all so nice." I stiffly nodded and followed Natalie into the bustling lunchroom. I would just hope I'd be expected by everybody, and that we would all be good friends. That Natalie wouldn't begin to see me as lesser than. I hated the thought that I was holding Natalie down, and I could only hope my insecurities would be proved wrong.   
The lunchroom was rather loud for the small number of students present. Some voices were much stronger than others, and in the relatively small lunchroom, the sound only seemed that much louder. Natalie guided me towards the left side of the lunchroom, where I spotted a group of three boys and two girls.   
"Meet Richie, Tom, Stone, Abigail, and Alice," Natalie said, pointing out each of them as she listed off their names. I said my hellos to each one as she went down the line. I nervously sat down at the table with them right beside Natalie.  
Richie seemed like your typical jock student, but he had an impressive knowledge of all things Star Wars and Star Trek related. He had curly blonde hair that was messy on top of his head, and it was unfair to just say he was muscular. He was ripped, and I was surprised to hear he didn't play any sports, and completely unsurprised when I heard the team hounded him to join.   
Tom was as small and light as a feather. He wore large round glasses that looked at least 10 years old. He was as nice as Natalie had bragged he was. He gave me a warm smile and made me feel instantly more welcomed. He was an easy person, he didn't bug me with questions, he just let me be, which quickly put him near the top of my list.   
Stone was the quietest of the bunch. He didn't smile, just simply nodded my way. He sat with his arms crossed, big military boots on his feet, a buzz cut hairstyle. He wasn't overly friendly, but he didn't seem to mean either, just indifferent.   
Abigail had curly blonde hair that bounced up and down with her. She was the most talkative, asking me tons of questions from my favorite kind of shows to what store I shopped at the most to where I lived before coming here and on and on and on.   
Alice seemed to be Toms long lost sister. She was equally as quiet, and instantly my favorite. She had dark purple hair that fell straight to her shoulders. Her eyes were a startling grey which made a pretty contrast with her tan skin. I felt at ease in her presence.   
Conversation continued as it normally would, I mainly stayed quiet adding in bits of information here and there. Answering questions when asked. Asking questions when I had them. Everyone was friendly with me as Natalie had said they would be and I felt my anxiety easing away.   
I looked around the cafeteria, glancing at other kids. My eyes landed on Clara and her brother, Ash, sitting at a table on the opposite side of the lunchroom from me. They were talking to each other, with no one else at their table. Clara seemed to have a bored expression, her brother looked rather upset. I figured people were too scared to talk to them, they were certainly intimidating. They didn't really look like they belonged here. This was a small school hidden away in the mountains. They looked like they belonged in the most selective private school.   
Suddenly his eyes flashed towards mine. He had caught me staring across the lunchroom, and for a second we made eye contact. He glared at me, and I was shocked to see the anger and bitterness in his eyes. I quickly looked away to avoid his piercing gaze. My heart leaping in my chest at the encounter.   
I spent the rest of the lunch period being sure to not look in his direction. Towards the end, right before the bell rang, I decided to look over my shoulder once more. I was startled to see his piercing eyes still trained on me.   
I turned my head quickly feeling overwhelmed. He looked so mad, he looked like he hated me. How was that possible? I didn't know him. I had seen him once. We hadn't even had a class together! I had tried to help him even, well his sister anyways. Why was he so angry with me?   
The bell rang and I stood up quickly ready to leave.   
Before I knew what was happening Clara was by my side. I was a bit shocked, she had been on the complete other side of the cafeteria. How did she get here so quickly?   
"Hello, Autumn! Your next class is history, right? That's mine too! Let's walk together."   
I had no time to speak before she intertwined her arm with mine and we began walking down the hallway to history. I shuddered at how intensely cold she was but figured it was just the weather. It was normal for it to be colder the higher up in elevation you went.   
"I wanted to apologize for my weird moment earlier, I um have low blood pressure and sometimes it makes me space out and be weird, but I'm fine and I wanted to thank you for helping me and everything."   
"Oh, it's no problem. I just wanted to make sure you were okay." I reassured, feeling better in her presence after her explanation. The weirdness of the encounter dismissed, she just wanted to apologize.  
"My brother and I just moved here from Austria actually!" She told me and I nodded intrigued. "That's where The Sound of Music is set you know."   
"Oh yeah. That's cool." I tried to sound enthusiastic but I was awkward as always.   
"Yeah! Our family tends to move around a lot. We've been all over. How about you? I know you're new, but I mean what's your story?" Clara asked as we walked down the hallway.   
"Oh. My parents divorced. It was really messy. We had family up here, and my best friend was up here. It just made sense for us to move here after the divorce." I said dumbly. I didn't live around the world or have beautiful looks or fancy clothes. I was one of a million kids whose parents got divorced and they ended up moving away in hopes of a fresh start.   
"I'm sorry to hear that."   
"It's fine. Anyways your last name is Italian, does your family come from Italy?" I asked deflecting back to her. It was easier this way, and luckily for me, she took the bait.   
"Yes, actually my family lineage stems from beautiful Italy. My pale skin doesn't reflect it." She laughed and I chuckled along with her.  
I didn't realize at the time but Ash was trailing behind listening to every word we said.  
Classes continued, I was getting anxious for the school day to finally come to a close feeling thoroughly exhausted. When my last hour came around, English, I was feeling so relieved for the end of the day.   
Natalie pointed out the classroom to me and I separated myself from her, walking down the hallway alone. I walked up to the door of the English class and peered into the classroom, the last student to arrive.   
I was horrified to see there was only one seat left, and even more, horrified to see it was the seat beside Ash.


	4. Autumn

The bell dinged signaling class was to begin. I stood awkwardly in the doorway of my last hour as my English teacher, a kind elderly man, welcomed me inside and pointed to the only seat available.   
Ash was staring at me with angry eyes as I made my way towards him. His face was stone cold watching me as I passed numerous students to reach him. I sat my books down on the table we would now be sharing and slid into the chair beside him, too afraid to look him in the face or even attempt to say anything.   
The teacher pulled class to start after I seated myself and began to explain things. It was the typical things you always heard, the things I had been hearing on repeat all day. Class rules, what was expected of us, what would happen if we were to break said rules. He continued on with the material that he would be teaching us this year and how if we ever had any questions we were free to come to him.   
I was only half paying attention until the teacher began to explain a system he would be implementing that caught my attention.   
"So this year I've decided to try something new. We are going to have a buddy system. You and the person you are sitting with will be buddies for the school year. We're going to have two big projects that you and your partner will work on during the course of a semester. One project for each semester. For this first semester, we are going to be reading the book 'Great Expectations' by Charles Dickens. You and your partner will be reading the book together and working on the project together. It is recommended that you and your partner get together at least once a week, this can be during school hours, to get to work on the project."   
My heart dropped as the teacher explained what to expect the following semesters. He continued to explain what the first-semester project would be, working together on a book report for the book 'Great Expectations' together, as well as one smaller essay each week about the current section we were reading. He explained how it was important for people to work on things together and help each other, and I could only imagine how this year would go.   
"For the next ten minutes, I'm going to let you and your partner talk and get to know each other some if you don't already know each other." I groaned inwardly.   
All-day Ash had done nothing but glared daggers in my back. It seemed I had done something to upset him, though what that was I was completely clueless.   
Soon the room filled with the soft chatter of students conversing and I sighed as we had yet to say a single word to each other.   
I decided it couldn't hurt to try and spark some conversation, maybe if he saw I had no bad intentions he would realize I wasn't such a bad guy.   
"Hey I'm Autumn, and I do believe you're Ash. We saw each other first hour when your sister had um..." I trailed off unsure how to finish the sentence, and immediately regretting trying to spark any conversation at all.   
"I remember." Was all he said in response. He looked straight ahead, his hands resting on his thighs, balled into tight fists. His voice was so deadpan it was frustrating and humiliating.   
"Yeah so um she said you guys used to live in Austria?" Why I was still trying to get him to talk baffled myself but I continued on waiting for him to reply. He glanced towards me this time, instead of continuing to look straight ahead.   
"Yes." His replies were as short and bittersweet as possible.   
"What was it like?" I continued on trying my best to show I was friendly and meant no harm. He sighed now clearly exasperated and unwilling to talk.   
"It was a beautiful place." He said, voice still dead and lacking any emotion. He turned away from me now, towards the window which showed nothing interesting.   
The remaining minutes we spent in silence. I felt so overwhelmingly embarrassed I was on the verge of tears and struggled to keep my composure. I spent my time focusing on anything I could to distract myself so I wouldn't end up crying and embarrassing myself any further.   
I looked around at the other students and noticed Richie and Tom were paired up. I noticed a red-haired girl wearing pretty makeup, and studied the blue chairs with utter interest. I examined the teacher's desk, complete with three staplers and a fake golden apple. The whiteboard had red stains on it from markers past.   
Eventually the ten minutes was up and I took in a deep breath feeling relieved that the awkward tense silence between us was over, while also feeling confused as to why Ash seemed to dislike me so much so quickly.   
As soon as class ended he lurched from his seat and left the classroom in a flash. It seemed like less than a second had passed after the bell had rung and he was already rushing to his locker anxious to head home. I slowly grabbed my books, feeling so shocked and horrified. Numbly I left the class with the rest of the students.   
Natalie could tell something bad seriously upset me on the way home, but I was too upset to talk about it, fearing if I did I might burst into tears and make myself feel even worse.   
By the time the first school day was over I was thoroughly exhausted. It had been such a whirl-wind of events that I wasn't even sure how to handle it all.   
Natalie dropped me off at my house, pulling up to the sidewalk to watch me walk up to the front of the house. Before she drove away she paused, rolling down the window and looking at my concerned.   
"Autumn you know if you need to talk, you can talk to me." She said frowning.   
"I know. Thank you, Natalie." I gave her my most convincing smile and waved as she drove away.   
I walked into my house looking over to the living room and further on to the kitchen.   
"Mom?" I called out searching for her.   
"I'm here sweetie." Her voice came from the kitchen. I walked forward following it and saw her sitting at the island working on her laptop. My mom was always working, she was such a busybody, I knew that would never change.   
"Hey! How was your first day of school?" She asked glancing up from her laptop momentarily.   
"It was fine. Met some new people. They were nice." I said pouring myself a glass of water and keeping the conversation short. I wasn't in a talking mood, the previous embarrassment still choking my throat.  
"Oh really? That's nice dear." Her eyes didn't leave the screen as she spoke. I knew she was busy, working away. I didn't mind. My mom barely knew how to take care of herself. She had always been so busy working, lost in her work. But after the divorce things got even worse. All she ever did was work work work. I was used to taking care of things myself, but sometimes I got worried.   
I headed upstairs to put my backpack up and work on some homework before I started dinner. They had talked about some of the things we would do this year like math problems and so on. I figured there was no hurt in getting a head start, I didn't want to be swamped with school work all year. The material was easy so far, and soon there was nothing left for me to work on.   
I checked the time and was surprised to see it was already seven o'clock, and I headed downstairs to cook and tidy up where it needed to be done. It felt weird, all of this happening in a new house. It was familiar, and yet strangely unfamiliar.   
I had decided the kitchen was probably my favorite room downstairs. It had a homey yet classy feel to it. The shiny white marble countertops complemented the wide-open windows, letting in space. The glass doors leading out to our backyard gave the house an airy feel. The dimming light made our house glow from the inside, and I spotted outside areas where flowers had clearly been planted.   
As I was finishing up dinner, which was lemon chicken with a mixture of vegetables, my mind drifted back to school and to the strange pair of Italian siblings. My mind flashed to Clara, staring into space in the school hallway. Her books falling from her pale arms to the ground as her eyes grew wide and her mouth dropped open. It was all so strange. The way her eyes glazed over as if seeing something else in the distance.   
Ash came to my mind, but as I thought of him I thought of our English class and quickly pushed any thought of him away, focusing back on dinner.   
I pulled the chicken and vegetables out of the oven. My mom was still sitting at the island bar typing away at her computer. I always enjoyed the click-clack her laptop computer keys made as she rapidly typed.   
"Here you go, mom," I said, dishing her out a plate. The food steamed as it met the cold plate and I smiled breathing in deep. It smelled refreshing and I heard my stomach growl in anticipation.   
"Thank you, sweetie." She said finally glancing up from her computer. "It looks delicious!"   
I nodded, got myself a plate, and sat down beside her. As I ate my mind began to drift sorting through many different thoughts. The new friends I met at school, my new teachers. Eventually my thoughts landed again on Ash, they were unavoidable, I thought with a sigh. I had been trying to not think about, but my mind wouldn't leave him alone.   
Hesitantly I pictured him, standing beside Clara with a worried look in his eyes. I remember catching his eyes, looking to him. I remembered his worried voice as he shook her. Clara? Clara?   
Whatever had happened today, blood pressure problems or not, it didn't seem to be as normal as she made it out to be. It was like she had gone into a trance, as if she was seeing something in the far distance.   
There had been an unspoken one-sided conversation between us as I looked into his strange eyes today. As if he was saying somehow, someway this is your fault. His eyes glared into mine, and I remembered thinking they were the strangest mixture of grey and purple. Contacts? I wondered before turning my attention back to Clara.   
I wondered if that event was what had made him so angry at me. The furious eyes during lunch, the complete unwillingness to talk to me during seventh hour. It just made no sense, I had done nothing wrong. I had tried to help Clara, and it wasn't my fault her blood pressure was funky and I just happened to be around when she had an episode.   
The pair were so strange. Their dainty pale skin, that almost seemed to glow. Their swirling colorful eyes. Their strong red lips. They had seemed tired, I remembered now. Deep blue and purple circles under their eyes that made brazen statements across their faces.  
I couldn't seem to shake them out of my mind. It seemed I could even remember their smell, they smelled so perfectly. It was warm and comforting. The smell of chocolate chip cookies fresh out of the oven. Warm chocolate, sugar, vanilla.   
Not to mention how inhumanly beautiful they were. Perfect figures, perfect skin, their clothes perfectly fitted and complementing them wonderfully.   
Clara, I thought, was perfectly nice. Rather friendly and inviting. Her more outgoing personality made it easy to be around her, she would fill up the conversation herself, or ask simple easy to answer questions.   
Her brother Ash, on the other hand, seemed to have a much more frightening, belligerent personality. I remembered the anger I had seen in his eyes today. Both when Clara had her moment and in the cafeteria. Not to mention during our last hour together. They seemed so mean, so full of hate. I didn't understand how someone I didn't know could look at me with such contempt.   
The fact that I was supposed to be buddies with him for the rest of the year frustrated me beyond reason. He was so rude to me, for frankly no reason, the last thing I wanted to do was spend an entire year sitting beside him and working with him.   
I finished dinner and headed upstairs after wishing my mother goodnight. As I settled into bed I checked my phone again and noticed I had several missed messages from my dad. I wasn't surprised, but I wasn't very pleased either.   
“Hey sweetie, how's the new house coming along?"   
"Did you have your first day of school? How was it?"   
"I sure miss you."   
I didn't want to think about my dad before I went to bed. I turned my phone off and flipped it over, resolving to answer him tomorrow and claim I had already fallen asleep last night.   
As I settled into bed I thought of the siblings again. They swirled in my thoughts relentlessly as I fell asleep.


End file.
